3. TSLAC Update: Peggy Rudd presented a certificate of appreciation to Eileen Altmiller. TSLAC is in the process of submitting the Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR). In accordance with instructions from the Legislative Budget Board, TSLAC will submit a budget that cuts 10% from its current general revenue appropriation. This is difficult since relatively little of the budget is General Revenue (GR). TSLAC may request funding for exceptional items that may include building renovation, TexShare databases, Loan Star Libraries, and/or K-12 databases. Sunset review hearings will take place sometime in the fall of 2006. A Sunset bill will be introduced in the next session.

4. Open Government Training: SB286 requires advisory board members to complete open government training by Jan 1, 2007.

5. Consortia Web Page Demo: There is a new section on the TexShare website that lists library consortia in Texas and provides information on opportunities to partner with these consortia for purchasing databases at discounted prices. (www.texshare.edu/consortia)

6. Medical Library Fee Schedule: At the last advisory board meeting, the board asked TSLAC staff to request that Baylor College of Medicine join TexShare. Discussions between TSLAC and Baylor College of Medicine are still in process, and TSLAC will report back on this issue at the next advisory board meeting. The board requested that the Task Force on Database Fees review the fee structure for medical libraries to determine if a flat fee for all medical libraries is still appropriate.

7. Working Group Reports

A. Card Program: Diane Bruxvoort was introduced as the new WG Chair. Suzanne McAnna, The University of Texas at Austin, resigned as Chair, but will continue as a working group member.

The Group accepted Ann Mason’s proposal to present a program on the TexShare Card and the Loan Star Library program at the 2007 TLA conference.

Some librarians are finding that persons who are not interested in their library services and resources, come to their libraries solely to obtain TexShare Cards. The group recommends a waiting period for obtaining TexShare cards as one way to address this situation.

Statistical reporting for the program has improved, but there seems to be a problem getting statistics on book losses. Where a public library system covers book losses for which a specific library would otherwise be responsible, it is still important for these libraries to report their losses for the annual analysis.

B. Interlibrary Loan/Courier Service: Jo Anne Hawkins reported.

The ILL Workshop is scheduled for Sept. 29th and will be held in Austin for the first time. Programs will include a welcome by Peggy Rudd, a Future of ILL panel including speakers from Idaho and Colorado, Amigos, OCLC, and copyright. UT Austin will host a pre-conference workshop on ILLiad on Sept. 28th. The University of Texas Libraries will serve as agent to receive registrations as it has done in the past. ILL Library of the Year Award Committee will solicit nominations on the conference web site.

C. Education Services Program: No report. The WG will meet on July 6th.

D. Electronic Information: Sue Phillips reported for Syma Zerkow.

The State Library has completed contract negotiations with database vendors for FY07. Overall, TexShare will be offering 50 databases as part of the core collection this year as compared to 19 databases last year. The new listing of databases will be on the TexShare website beginning July 1.

Heritage Quest Online is once again a core title. We will not need another pledge drive.

eLibrary, previously known as Electric Library, returns. This was a popular database we were forced to drop a couple of years ago.

Twayne’s and Scribner’s literary series return to Gale’s Literature Resource Center. These were also dropped for cost-saving reasons a few years ago.

All of the various EBSCO specialized databases—plus some new ones--are back.

EBSCO Texas Reference Center is a brand new database EBSCO has developed specifically for the Texas market.

EBSCO’s Student Research Center will replace Gale’s Student Reference Center God as a core database. Gale’s Student Reference Center Gold will be added to the list of databases available as TexSelect titles.

EBSCO’s KidSearch is a new interface developed for upper elementary and middle school students.

EBSCO’s “Premier” databases, which were previously their top-of-the-line databases are gradually being upgraded to their new top-of-the-line series: EBSCO “Complete.” We have immediate access to Business Source Complete and Consumer Health Complete. When Academic Search Complete is released, we will move to that.

New alternative health information databases from both EBSCO and Gale have been added to our health information.

Serials Directory from EBSCO is a new database designed to compete with Ulrich’s.

There are no plans to purchase additional netLibrary titles, but TexShare members continue to have access to what we currently own.

E. Communications: No report.

F. Library of Texas: Jeanette Mosey reported.

TSLAC has entered into a partnership with Texas Woman's University do usability testing on the Library of Texas interface this summer. This is part of a summer grant award to Dr. Diane Neal to develop a usability lab at TWU. Results will help guide development of the Texas Heritage Digitization Initiative (THDI) interface. Further testing, specific to the development of the THDI interface will be scheduled for fall, assuming that the necessary funding is secured.

Index Data was awarded the bid for LoT enhancements, including verifying patron status for ILL and hold requests, communicating requests to ILL request processing software, enabling use with Open URL link resolvers, and improving presentation of results.

A subcommittee of the working group has been developing a FAQ on sharing MARC records for discussion at the next WG meeting on July 10th in Austin.

8. Strategic Partner Reports

A. University of Texas at Austin: No report

B. Amigos: Bonnie Juergens reported.
Misdirected packages continue to be a problem, generally due to human error. Amigos re-directs the packages that are misdirected. The current courier service has 163 subsidized sites, 11 self-funded, for a total of 216 (this includes shared sites.) The shared site option is a generous contribution that allows institutions that otherwise couldn’t participate to get courier service.

In FY07, there will be an increase in the cost of the service to $3,350. This is still very low considering fuel expenses. There was also an increase in the subsidy to help offset the increase (raised to $900).

C. ESC-20: Susanna Garza reported.
Based on verbal commitments, there will be a very high participation level for the K-12 TexShare database program. Next phase is training. They are gathering information about technical conferences through the ESCs. The ESC-20 K-12 TexShare web site has resources to help inform potential users about the databases, including a toolkit with downloadable brochures, tech support, an online magazine, a list of contacts, electronic discussion lists, etc.

The challenges are that some ESCs want to set up their own DB package. There is competition from other vendors, notably Gale. A feasibility study will be conducted to address the issue of a statewide fee based on student population and other factors.

9. Administrative Report: Beverley Shirley reported.

A. TexShare Board Members: TSLAC thanks Eileen Altmiller for serving two terms on the board. Congratulations to advisory board members Loriene Roy, who has been elected president of the American Library Association, and to Steven Brown, who has been elected president of the Texas Library Association.

B. TexShare Database Fees: As of June 20, 2006, we have collected $1,521,256 of the TexShare FY06 Database Program Fees. 661 libraries have paid.

C. TexShare Databases: The new slate of TexShare databases, selected as a result of the database bid process, will become available on July 1, 2006. TSLAC staff has worked with the Electronic Information Working Group to design a new gateway page to the upgraded suite of databases.

D. Public School Library Participation: Criteria for public school library participation in the group purchasing activities for TexShare were adopted into rule in the May 18, 2006 issue of the Texas Register, 31 TexReg 3871.

We plan to conduct a feasibility study to determine whether we will be able to collect enough money from K-12 public school libraries to transition from an "opt-in" program to a statewide program, and how to structure an equitable fee schedule for public school library participants. The task force believes that two years of “opt in” pricing will have been in place before we can realistically expect to transition to a statewide program.

The Transition Task Force also discussed possible value-added services to promote and enhance K-12 use of electronic resources.

E. TExpress Subsidy: covered in Amigos report.

F. Library of Texas: covered in LoT WG report.

G. Outreach:

LRS staff and four students from Loriene Roy’s class at the University of Texas iSchool presented a program on the “Bridge to TexShare for Small and Rural Libraries” for the Texas Association of Developing Colleges (TADC) in Duncanville, Texas.

Delia Fantova, student at the University of Texas iSchool, provided training to libraries in Central Texas as part of her capstone project, "Extending the Rural Bridge to TexShare for Small/Rural Libraries."

Ann Mason (TexShare Coordinator) and our partners at ESC-20 provided information on services for K-12 public school libraries at ESC-5 Library Expo in Beaumont, ESC-1 Technology Conference in South Padre Island, and a TETN (videoconference) with representatives from all 20 ESCs.

Ms. Mason also gave a TexShare overview presentation to the UT iSchool class on electronic resources.

H. Texas Collaboration: Several TexShare programs are featured in an article, “Managing Texas Digital Projects Through Consortia and Collaboration,” published in Interface, the newsletter of the Association for Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies, a division of the American Library Association.

I. TexShare Trademark: We have reported two more misuses of the TexShare name and logo, and one additional report of the use of the logo and TExpress Courier name to the Office of the Attorney General.